Well, as you well know, all non-profits exist on the generosity of others. Right now, Higher Orbits biggest project is Mission Discovery. I am very excited that we have so many Mission Discovery events scheduled for this summer.
As you may know, one of the very unique things about Mission Discovery is that out of each event/camp (call it whatever you prefer) we will pick the best experiment to be launched into space to the International Space Station! I certainly wish I could've done something like that when I was that age!
www.mission-discovery.info
Obviously you don't have to be a rocket scientist (sorry couldn't resist!) to recognize that launching something into space doesn't happen without cost.
So with that in mind...
Higher Orbits is working to find some sponsorships for our 2014 summer Mission Discovery programs. There are a variety of ways that this can be done and I'd be happy to discuss any and all options with anyone who is interested. Please don't think that any amount of sponsorship is too little from a company. Every dollar helps! Likewise, we are also looking for individual donations that we will pool to fund scholarships for deserving students to attend Mission Discovery at the various locations. Here's a blog that tells you more about how you can make a donation.
http://higherorbits.blogspot.com/2014/04/a-great-umbrella-not-quite-what-you.html
Corporate Sponsor? Here's a list of sponsorship opportunities and the benefits that go with them!
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/tfmqhhfonybmoed/AABLiZwVs2VnZ0gLXhrl9PMJa
Please consider helping in any way you can... our next generation of Scientists, Engineers, Mathematicians and Leaders are counting on you!
.....and please spread the word! :)
Monday, May 12, 2014
Monday, April 21, 2014
A Great Umbrella! (Not quite what you think it means...)
I feel fortunate today to announce that Higher Orbits has an umbrella to thank for helping us out...
Now that may sound a little odd to you that I am thankful for an umbrella (especially given that it's not raining!) but let me explain...
There is a wonderful group in California called EEG (a non-profit tax exempt educational foundation that has been in existence for 42 years) that is an "incubator" for similar minded non-profits. Since the task of getting 501c3 status is an arduous one and it takes quite a bit of time, this group helps out those in need in a variety of ways. They've kindly offered guidance on a variety of topics, which are very important but I won't bore you with, but there's something else they do that is much more important...
By being under their umbrella it helps me with donations in the immediate timeframe. Why? Well let me explain. You can make a donation to Higher Orbits TODAY and the check can be written to Higher Orbits. Higher Orbits will happily take that donation and put it to very good use. But since Higher Orbits is still awaiting it's tax-exempt 501c3 status (even though it's a non-profit, the actual IRS process for the tax exemption takes a year or 2!) you might not be able to claim it as a tax "benefit" for 2014 if the status doesn't come through this year. Whenever the status comes through you can retroactively claim it however. (Confused? Sorry!) Now how EEG is helpful.... if you're worried about your donation DEFINITELY being applied to this years taxes (as a company who might be willing to write a big check might be) you can make your check out to EEG but send it to Higher Orbits. They will accept donations on behalf of Higher Orbits and will then give Higher Orbits the money with only a few % taken out for administration costs. This definitely helps us to be able to go out and solicit even larger donations so that we can provide even more scholarships and programs to deserving students!
So - you want to donate? THANK YOU!
You can write your check to Higher Orbits or EEG (based on what you've read in the paragraph above) and mail it to:
Higher Orbits
Attn: Michelle Ham
32 Upshur Rd
Annapolis, MD 21402
I can promise you that your donation will be used to support some very worthy programs including Mission Discovery (www.mission-discovery.info) for some incredible and deserving students!
A great big huge THANK YOU to EEG for taking Higher Orbits under their umbrella and providing such wonderful support.
P.S. Right now Higher Orbits can only take checks but I'm working on taking credit cards soon and will let you know as soon as we get that sorted out!
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
Exercise! Astronauts Do It - Do You?
Well with this blog I am going to admit that I'm writing it at the encouragement of some other friends of mine who are much wiser in the realm of social media etc. than I am. They pointed out that some of my followers on this twitter account might be interested to learn more about upcoming run especially since exercise does tie directly to some space stuff. I'm not sure wether you all really want to know about this or not but I thought I'd give it a shot. (I do generally do my best to not post too much that's not truly space stuff.) Here's to hoping I don't lose too many followers! For those of you who want pure space stuff, don't worry, in just 2 weeks I promise this line of tweets will end!
So there I was... minding my own business.... Oh wait that's a different story ;) Let's see how to begin this one... I know - with something space!
Do you have any idea how long ISS astronauts work out every single day? 2 hours! Every. Single. Day! It is absolutely essential for their health that they do so. I won't get into the nitty gritty here (because I think many of you already know all this) but micro-gravity wreaks havoc on your muscle and bones so without exercise your body would be a total mess! (Yes that is a technical term!)
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/teachingfromspace/dayinthelife/exercise-adil-index.html
Quick version of types of workouts is that they spend half their time doing resistance exercise and half of it doing cardio. I could go into much more detail (and perhaps I will in a future blog) but for this one that info will suffice. I remember, during my days of being an Ops Plan Flight Controller in MCC, thinking that in some ways it sure would be nice to be SCHEDULED for exercise every day. Because let's face it, most of us lack the time and/or motivation to work out some days.
So here's where I diverge from space a bit... I'm a firm believer that a healthy body helps make a sharp mind. Don't get me wrong - there any many days when the last thing I want to do is exercise (and it's certainly not to say that I exercise every day because believe me - I don't!) but I also know that my mind feels sluggish if I am not keeping my body healthy and fit. So while I certainly don't work out as much as the astronauts on ISS, I do my best to work out several times a week.
So back to that lack of motivation thing - I am signed up to run the Nike Women's Half Marathon in DC on April 28th and to say I haven't trained is an understatement. It's been too cold for me to run outside and I am not a fan of the treadmill. But not only have I signed up for the run, 2 very special young ladies have signed up to run this with me and they will be traveling in from the West Coast to do so, as such, I've got to get myself motivated! So each day I've been posting to my personal Facebook page some sort of picture that I find motivational. Surprisingly, it is sort of helping! Shall I share those with you too? Here are the first 2 days of pictures:
So there I was... minding my own business.... Oh wait that's a different story ;) Let's see how to begin this one... I know - with something space!
Do you have any idea how long ISS astronauts work out every single day? 2 hours! Every. Single. Day! It is absolutely essential for their health that they do so. I won't get into the nitty gritty here (because I think many of you already know all this) but micro-gravity wreaks havoc on your muscle and bones so without exercise your body would be a total mess! (Yes that is a technical term!)
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/teachingfromspace/dayinthelife/exercise-adil-index.html
Quick version of types of workouts is that they spend half their time doing resistance exercise and half of it doing cardio. I could go into much more detail (and perhaps I will in a future blog) but for this one that info will suffice. I remember, during my days of being an Ops Plan Flight Controller in MCC, thinking that in some ways it sure would be nice to be SCHEDULED for exercise every day. Because let's face it, most of us lack the time and/or motivation to work out some days.
So here's where I diverge from space a bit... I'm a firm believer that a healthy body helps make a sharp mind. Don't get me wrong - there any many days when the last thing I want to do is exercise (and it's certainly not to say that I exercise every day because believe me - I don't!) but I also know that my mind feels sluggish if I am not keeping my body healthy and fit. So while I certainly don't work out as much as the astronauts on ISS, I do my best to work out several times a week.
So back to that lack of motivation thing - I am signed up to run the Nike Women's Half Marathon in DC on April 28th and to say I haven't trained is an understatement. It's been too cold for me to run outside and I am not a fan of the treadmill. But not only have I signed up for the run, 2 very special young ladies have signed up to run this with me and they will be traveling in from the West Coast to do so, as such, I've got to get myself motivated! So each day I've been posting to my personal Facebook page some sort of picture that I find motivational. Surprisingly, it is sort of helping! Shall I share those with you too? Here are the first 2 days of pictures:
Day 1 of Pictures: The signs I saw in the Gallery Place Metro in DC this past week
Day 2 of Pictures: My Running Shoes- As you can tell I like colorful :)
So let me ask you - what do YOU do to keep your mind and body at its healthiest? Do you Train Like An Astronaut? http://www.space.com/22714-train-like-an-astronaut-nasa-s-physical-fitness-program-video.html You may not have 2 hours a day to workout like the astronauts but who on Earth does?! Motivation comes in many forms so perhaps you can find something to motivate you... If I can be of any help let me know :)
Sunday, March 16, 2014
Women In Aviation
What a treat it was to get to attend the 25th annual Women in Aviation Conference at Disney in Orlando. This conference is always an amazing gathering of so many fantastic women! I am honored to have been part of it!
The first time I ever got to attend the Women in Aviation conference, it was as a result of a scholarship. I'm pretty sure the year was 2002 and it was in Reno. Since that initial conference I have been to 2 others before this one. I hope to make it a more regular occurrence to attend!
This year I feel fortunate that I not only got to attend the conference, but I also had the opportunity to exhibit and tell so many great people about Higher Orbits & ISSET and that I got to spread the good word about Mission Discovery!
Since I have been fortunate that throughout my life there have been people (individuals and companies) kind enough to offer scholarships to various things that I was interested in and wouldn't have been able to afford otherwise, I was extremely happy to be able to offer a scholarship to any Mission Discovery through the Women in Aviation Scholarship program.
At the conference we got the idea to solicit donations $1 at a time (because that's the kind of grass roots effort we are!) to fund a scholarship for a woman (of high school or university/college age) to attend any Mission Discovery. The idea was for this scholarship to be funded solely on the kind donations of the Women in Aviation Conference attendees. Unfortunately we got the idea a little late so while some individuals were happy to donate more than the $1 requested, we only made it halfway to our goal of $500 (which is a full scholarship).... here's where you might come in :) Did you attend the conference and not get a chance to stop by and make a donation? Well here's your chance!! Help us reach our goal of funding 1 woman who is interested in STEM to attend Mission Discovery based on the kindness of donations from WAI Conference attendees. Every dollar counts! You can make your check out to Mission Discovery and mail it to
The first time I ever got to attend the Women in Aviation conference, it was as a result of a scholarship. I'm pretty sure the year was 2002 and it was in Reno. Since that initial conference I have been to 2 others before this one. I hope to make it a more regular occurrence to attend!
This year I feel fortunate that I not only got to attend the conference, but I also had the opportunity to exhibit and tell so many great people about Higher Orbits & ISSET and that I got to spread the good word about Mission Discovery!
Since I have been fortunate that throughout my life there have been people (individuals and companies) kind enough to offer scholarships to various things that I was interested in and wouldn't have been able to afford otherwise, I was extremely happy to be able to offer a scholarship to any Mission Discovery through the Women in Aviation Scholarship program.
At the conference we got the idea to solicit donations $1 at a time (because that's the kind of grass roots effort we are!) to fund a scholarship for a woman (of high school or university/college age) to attend any Mission Discovery. The idea was for this scholarship to be funded solely on the kind donations of the Women in Aviation Conference attendees. Unfortunately we got the idea a little late so while some individuals were happy to donate more than the $1 requested, we only made it halfway to our goal of $500 (which is a full scholarship).... here's where you might come in :) Did you attend the conference and not get a chance to stop by and make a donation? Well here's your chance!! Help us reach our goal of funding 1 woman who is interested in STEM to attend Mission Discovery based on the kindness of donations from WAI Conference attendees. Every dollar counts! You can make your check out to Mission Discovery and mail it to
Mission Discovery
Attn: Michelle Ham
32 Upshur Rd
Annapolis, MD 21402
Make sure to put WAI in the notes section so we know to be sure to apply it to this special scholarship specifically.
Thank you so much for your support!!
Monday, March 3, 2014
Once a Brickie, Always a Brickie
Well for all of you who are not from "The Region" I am sure that you are wondering - what the heck is a Brickie?! Don't worry, I will get into that more in a bit but first I want to tell you about my incredible day at Hobart High School... Perhaps it deserves a bit of background first though....
I was born in Hammond, IN but within the first 6 months of my life my parents moved to Hobart, IN (both in the Chicagoland area). Hobart is where I spent all of my years until I left to go to Purdue University. So naturally I attended Hobart High School. Worth mentioning, I attended the OLD Hobart High School... why is that worth mentioning? Well let me tell you...
I was excited when the Hobart Superintendent Dr. Peggy Buffington reached out to me and asked me if I would be willing to come by the high school and give a talk. I was excited for 2 reasons... first and foremost I was obviously excited to get to meet some great young minds and to share some thoughts with them. The second reason was because Hobart built a new school that I have heard amazing things about and I was psyched to get to check it out!
My morning started with meeting Dr. Buffington and I have to say I immediately knew that I was going to like her! She is this force of positive energy that just draws you in. Her devotion to Hobart and the students is unmistakable - it's truly an amazing thing! After a quick stop in the school board room to drop off me coat we headed to the theater. Even before we got in the door there I could tell that this new HHS was a far cry from our old HHS. Attention has been paid to every detail and as a result the school looks amazing!
I was fortunate enough to speak to a large group of students for about an hour about space and life and well a bit about me and how I got where I am. Naturally I also told them about Mission Discovery and I REALLY hope to see some of them at Mission Discovery Valparaiso University this summer! They were such an attentive group with some great questions (including 1 question that I think I will write an entire blog about at some point.. just gotta find the time!) and I hope I left them with some thoughts to think about and perhaps a piece or 2 of advice for them to carry with them in life. It was a real treat to get to be there and to interact with some great Brickies!
After the talk, Dr. Buffington was kind enough to take me on a tour of the whole high school.... All I can say is WOW! Hobart High School has so many amazing opportunities for students that certainly weren't available when I was in school there and the facility is sincerely world-class! Clearly a lot of thought and caring went into the design, building and execution of HHS. The programs and facilities are so much more than just a school though... they have a real community feel to them.
I truly look forward to being able to do more work with Hobart High School... so be on the lookout! You never know when I will be back there!
Oh and I bet you are wondering what a Brickie is ;) Well check this out...
http://hobart.schoolwires.com/site/default.aspx?PageID=1887
I am proud to say I am a Brickie!
Once a Brickie, Always a Brickie!
I was born in Hammond, IN but within the first 6 months of my life my parents moved to Hobart, IN (both in the Chicagoland area). Hobart is where I spent all of my years until I left to go to Purdue University. So naturally I attended Hobart High School. Worth mentioning, I attended the OLD Hobart High School... why is that worth mentioning? Well let me tell you...
I was excited when the Hobart Superintendent Dr. Peggy Buffington reached out to me and asked me if I would be willing to come by the high school and give a talk. I was excited for 2 reasons... first and foremost I was obviously excited to get to meet some great young minds and to share some thoughts with them. The second reason was because Hobart built a new school that I have heard amazing things about and I was psyched to get to check it out!
My morning started with meeting Dr. Buffington and I have to say I immediately knew that I was going to like her! She is this force of positive energy that just draws you in. Her devotion to Hobart and the students is unmistakable - it's truly an amazing thing! After a quick stop in the school board room to drop off me coat we headed to the theater. Even before we got in the door there I could tell that this new HHS was a far cry from our old HHS. Attention has been paid to every detail and as a result the school looks amazing!
I was fortunate enough to speak to a large group of students for about an hour about space and life and well a bit about me and how I got where I am. Naturally I also told them about Mission Discovery and I REALLY hope to see some of them at Mission Discovery Valparaiso University this summer! They were such an attentive group with some great questions (including 1 question that I think I will write an entire blog about at some point.. just gotta find the time!) and I hope I left them with some thoughts to think about and perhaps a piece or 2 of advice for them to carry with them in life. It was a real treat to get to be there and to interact with some great Brickies!
After the talk, Dr. Buffington was kind enough to take me on a tour of the whole high school.... All I can say is WOW! Hobart High School has so many amazing opportunities for students that certainly weren't available when I was in school there and the facility is sincerely world-class! Clearly a lot of thought and caring went into the design, building and execution of HHS. The programs and facilities are so much more than just a school though... they have a real community feel to them.
I truly look forward to being able to do more work with Hobart High School... so be on the lookout! You never know when I will be back there!
Oh and I bet you are wondering what a Brickie is ;) Well check this out...
http://hobart.schoolwires.com/site/default.aspx?PageID=1887
I am proud to say I am a Brickie!
Once a Brickie, Always a Brickie!
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Announcing Our First Scholarship Winners
One of the big reasons that I wanted to create Higher Orbits was to be able to offer opportunities for students to attend programs that they might not otherwise be able to attend. One of the obvious ways to do this is through scholarships. Clearly Mission Discovery is a program that I am incredibly vested in and believe in whole-heartedly. I wish something like Mission Discovery had existed when I was a student because it truly is a life changing experience for many students. I am so thrilled to be able to pour my energy into such a worthwhile endeavor. (Just how crazy has life been in working on Mission Discovery lately? Well I can tell you that all is going great but the answer to what all I've been up to in working on it is worthy of another blog all in and of itself!)
Our First Scholarships are all being awarded to students to attend the Valparaiso University Mission Discovery in July 2014.
It is with great pleasure I announce the first winners of our first set of scholarships....
** Tara Marlow, from Indian Creek High School, has devleoped a love for the cosmos over the years and is considering becoming an astronautical engineer because, " I would have the opportunity to correlate my ideas with others and produce exceptional solutions to problems"
**Megan Mitchell, from Kankakee Valley High School, is passionate about space exploration for many reasons including that she believes it helps broaden our knowledge about the universe and creates new advances in technology. Exploring a career in aerospace has been a goal of hers since she was a little girl
**Emily O'Fallon, from Roncalli High School in Wisconsin, has always loved "new" things and has found a passion about space and hoes to pursue an education in astrophysics. She joined the rocketry team and while she loved building the rocket, launch was really what hooked her!
** We have 2 more winners but I have not heard back from them yet and do not want to publish their names without permission... I will tell you more about them when I hear back from them.
How about a big round of applause for all these amazing young minds!
I really look forward to all of these students joining us at Mission Discovery in July. Don't you want to attend too? You can register today to insure your spot! Additionally there will be more scholarships posted in the not too distant future on the Higher Orbits website (which is about to actually about to start looking like a proper website thanks to the help of some friends I think!) - check out www.higherorbits.org and be sure to click on the Scholarships page/tab.
Our First Scholarships are all being awarded to students to attend the Valparaiso University Mission Discovery in July 2014.
It is with great pleasure I announce the first winners of our first set of scholarships....
** Tara Marlow, from Indian Creek High School, has devleoped a love for the cosmos over the years and is considering becoming an astronautical engineer because, " I would have the opportunity to correlate my ideas with others and produce exceptional solutions to problems"
**Megan Mitchell, from Kankakee Valley High School, is passionate about space exploration for many reasons including that she believes it helps broaden our knowledge about the universe and creates new advances in technology. Exploring a career in aerospace has been a goal of hers since she was a little girl
**Emily O'Fallon, from Roncalli High School in Wisconsin, has always loved "new" things and has found a passion about space and hoes to pursue an education in astrophysics. She joined the rocketry team and while she loved building the rocket, launch was really what hooked her!
** We have 2 more winners but I have not heard back from them yet and do not want to publish their names without permission... I will tell you more about them when I hear back from them.
How about a big round of applause for all these amazing young minds!
I really look forward to all of these students joining us at Mission Discovery in July. Don't you want to attend too? You can register today to insure your spot! Additionally there will be more scholarships posted in the not too distant future on the Higher Orbits website (which is about to actually about to start looking like a proper website thanks to the help of some friends I think!) - check out www.higherorbits.org and be sure to click on the Scholarships page/tab.
Monday, October 21, 2013
Bummed I Missed An Opportunity...
Have you ever noticed that smoke detector batteries always fail in the middle of the night? Well they do at our house at least. And the kicker of it is that when they do it starts yelling at you every minute something along the lines of.....
CHIRP! LOW BATTERY! CHIRP!
Then as you pull out the old battery and put in a new one, all the smoke detectors in the house (because they are all connected) sound for a minute and yell....
Chirp! Chirp! Chirp! Fire! Fire! Carbon Monoxide Warning? Chirp! Chirp! Chirp!
(Whoever created this system exactly this way should be beaten as far as I am concerned.....)
So yep that's what happened this morning at 3:57am. To make it worse we have a friend staying with us for a few days who is in need of some rest and needless to say this noise doesn't exactly lend itself to a restful night!
You may be wondering why I am posting about this middle of the night experience on my space blog.... well I was just realizing (as I am still trying to fully wake up because I didn't sleep so well after the smoke detector debacle) that when all that noise was going on and I got woken up - I wish I'd had the alertness to realize that I should have stepped outside to see if I could see any of the Orionid Meteor Shower since it was supposed to peak before sunrise today. BUMMED!!! Completely missed out on that opportunity :( What can I say - I am definitely not a morning person.
I hope some of you got a chance to see it and I hope it was absolutely spectacular!
Oh and for all of you who have fire/smoke detector concerns about us... don't worry the plan is to go and change all the batteries so they all have fresh ones.....
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